Hey, to each his own, I say. They obviously love each other. Who are we to criticize?? all you can do is congratulate them and HOPE for the best.

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Is it true love or infatuation? IMO a 16 yr old , no matter how mature doesn't really know the meaning of love. You have to experience life itself before making such decisions. while I was in school we had the most handsome English teacher, every girl had a crush on him....wasn't love, it was infatuation.
I think her parents are to blame if they didn't see it coming, sounds like they didn't use great measures to prevent this.

Is it true love or infatuation? IMO a 16 yr old , no matter how mature doesn't really know the meaning of love. You have to experience life itself before making such decisions. while I was in school we had the most handsome English teacher, every girl had a crush on him....wasn't love, it was infatuation.
I think her parents are to blame if they didn't see it coming, sounds like they didn't use great measures to prevent this.

James grow up, you sound like a 2 yr old.

No....I think a 16 year old girl is quite capable of falling in love.
My mother is living proof of that.....she herself admits that it was true love when she met my dad, and has always been so. Do your maths....I was born when my mum was 16, she went on to have another 5 children, they were married for 54 years, and when dad died she was so very inconsolable for a long time. She still misses him.
Wom

No....I think a 16 year old girl is quite capable of falling in love.
My mother is living proof of that.....she herself admits that it was true love when she met my dad, and has always been so. Do your maths....I was born when my mum was 16, she went on to have another 5 children, they were married for 54 years, and when dad died she was so very inconsolable for a long time. She still misses him.
Wom

I was just going to tell a similar story. I know a lady who is a dear friend and she started dating her husband when she was 14..... he just passed away two years ago after a heart attack and she was devestated. They were very much in love from the day they met till the day he passed away.

I'm going to assume that most of you are well over the age of 20, at least. As an almost 16-year-old, I can tell you that, no, many of my peers are not mature enough to handle marriage, and, no, most of them can't differentiate between true love and infatuation. Yes, age is just a number and love has no physical limitations or boundaries. However, this GIRL is just 16. In this modern world where a large number of teens leave home at age 18 not to start their careers but to continue their education, I firmly feel 16 is not the age to begin a marriage to somebody 24 years older. I don't see why she wanted to rush this. Why not continue dating and wait a few years (i.e. when she enters college??).

And, I have to disagree. There is a lot of mental and physical development that takes place between 16 and 18. There've been a good deal of studies regarding young teens and their ability/mental maturity to drive a car. At 16, it's undeniable that our brains are still in a fast rate of growth and development. Maybe I should stick my head out from my books, but that's my belief.

I have been happily married to my husband for almost a year. I am 22, he's 41. I was 21 when I married him and made the decision based on love. He might be a lot older than me, but he is a great husband and a wonderful father. Most people are shocked when they find out the age difference, but they can see that we DO love each other dearly.

Although I don't find it particularly pleasant, the thing is, it's their choice whether they want to get married. It's legal. Hell, if they're in love, it's alot more acceptable to me than some gold-digger marrying some man/woman on their deathbed to inherit their estate. And, the girl is physically and sexually mature, so it's not pedophilia in any way. What bothers me, is how the relationship was initiated. I sure as heck hope this guy was conducting himself properly at school.

I have known 16-year-olds that were more mature than some 25-year-olds I knew, and vice versa. I do wonder though, if, in ten year's time, he'll dump her when she's an adult woman and find another gullible teen to pursue, but only time will tell, and doubtless the media will not care.

I dont care either way, dosent affect me in the least bit. My parents are 27 years apart, and they are very happily married. Hubby and I are 10 years apart, I moved in with him, when I was 18, and he was 28. we have been together so far, for over 10 years. to each their own, I say.

I also say a 16 year old is capable of being in true love. I'm not saying all will or can be at that age, but it's not impossible either. On the opposite end I've also known of adults who never did and only knew infatuation. Everyone is an individual. Our brains all mature and get different emotions at different rates. That's what makes us all so unique.

Originally Posted by mike001

Is it true love or infatuation? IMO a 16 yr old , no matter how mature doesn't really know the meaning of love. You have to experience life itself before making such decisions. while I was in school we had the most handsome English teacher, every girl had a crush on him....wasn't love, it was infatuation...

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The pet world excels where the human world is lacking; sterilization and adoption. ~ crow_noir

Please, if your dog is arthritic look into getting it Elk Velvet Antler. Look up my posts on it, PM me, or look it up on a search engine; but please if you love your dog and want it to live many more years consider this option. I've seen so many posts on here about dogs needlessly suffering. I can't make a new post about EVA every time so this plea is going here. EVA also helps with other ailments such as anemia.

I've been thinking about this thred. I think there are 3 ways a 16 year old can fall in love:
1) they honestly fall in love. Like Wombat's mom, it can be a lasting love.
2) they fall in love with the idea of being in love. They might not have much self confidence and a guy can take advantage of that. Whether they are 20 years older or the same age, a guy can manipulate their insecurity and make the girl think they are the greatest thing going and the girl falls hard for the guy pretending to be everything she ever wanted. I think this is part of Ashley's thing with Cameron's dad.... I'm sorry to admit she had pooor self-confidence. I think this is also where my coworker's ex-wives fall. He simply wanted the youthful figure they had
3) they pick a guy who excites them and makes the parents cringe. Teens are good at rebelling and good at picking out boyfriends who make mom and dad see red. (I also swear this is another part of why Ashley chose Cam's father.)

Now, if they fall in love with option 1, there's nothing we can do but sit back and watch their love grow. If they fall in love with #2 or 3, then we can sit back and watch everything fall apart. If we interfere (especially with reason #3) we only make the guy more attactive. It'll only be a matter of time before she realizes her mistake. It'll be up to her how long she take to admit and rectify her mistake. Thankfully Ashley didn't take too long (only 1 year - yahoo the jerk is gone!).